Preparing for a Disaster, Cheap & Easy - Part 1

The simple act of Preparing for a Disaster could save your life and your families so your not caught flat footed and helpless.

Disasters happen all the time whether they be man made or natural, and how prepared you are can have a dramatic affect on your life. If a disaster is coming or has already arrived, such as weather, your too late. Preparedness needs to be done before something happens. It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN.
It is very easy to become complacent when things seem to be going well. "I've been through dozens of hurricanes" I've heard people boast. Great, ask the people that were in Katrina if they still think that. Situations can change dramatically in an instant. It comes swiftly and knocks you over the head, and hopefully opens your eyes to what's important to you and how a little preparation could have helped improve the situation.
If you think your prepared, just do a double take and make sure you really are. Having a nice supply in your home is only one little piece of the preparedness pie. You may not have access to your home. Do you have the same supplies in your vehicle? Let's take a quick look at some potential disasters that have and could occur:
Common and Possible Disasters
Hurricanes- This is a common disaster that happens every year and the severity varies.
Flooding- Often simultaneous with hurricanes or excessive rainfall and drainage buildup. Flooding can be very disastrous, destroying roads, homes, and life.
Tornado- Common in many areas and a hit or miss disaster. Very powerful and deadly.
Snow & Ice- Very common in northern regions. Power outages that can last weeks, dangerous road conditions, and whiteouts leave many people stranded every year.
Earthquakes- Another common occurrence in many regions, which much too often causes complacency. Earthquakes can be non destructive tremors, or highly destructive to both life and property.
Anthrax, biological, nuclear attacks- These are always a possibility, especially nowadays. They can happen anywhere at any time without warning. Sept 11 is a prime example.
All of these disasters can shut down transportation, empty the store shelves, overwhelm emergency resources and services, grossly inflate common item prices (water, food, plywood, fuel, etc) and cause widespread panic. Grocery store shelves are stripped of necessities almost always overnight, and this happens even for very minor disruptions, never mind a large tragedy. Most people are so unprepared they don't even have basics like food, water, first aid kits, and most importantly a plan.
What You Can Do To Prepare
Due to the numerous potentials, what should you put aside and prepare for? If you live in a normally occurring disaster area such as "tornado alley" in the Midwest USA, or the "West coast earthquakes", or "Southern hurricanes", or "flood prone" areas, you should certainly expect a disaster to happen and put aside items that regularly disappear.
No matter where you live, put aside the basic necessities first, such as:

Food- You must eat food to live.
Water- You must drink water to live.
First Aid Kits- It would be a real tragedy to develop a serious infection because you allowed a simple scratch to go untreated because you didn't have a first aid kit to clean and care for it. There are many more items you should have, but these are the bare necessities essential to life. You shouldn't expect someone else to take care of your needs, and certainly don't expect to be welcomed by others who are trying to care for their own needs and survival. This is gambling with your life.
What To Do in The Event of a Disaster
Depending on the situation, the impending or occurring disaster, you have two choices.
Stay at home, or Evacuate & Travel.
Stay at Home - Snowstorms, earthquakes (maybe), cyber attacks, biological attacks, or anything that collapses the infrastructure. Staying home is often your best choice.
Evacuate & Travel - Hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, or disasters with advance notice, evacuating may be your best choice. If your home is threatened, leaving could save your life.
Staying in a familiar area and having emergency supplies at hand is always the best choice whenever possible. I am not a big proponent of listening to what self appointed desk jockeys have to say. They do not have your personal interest in mind, and if they are wrong about the advice they gave you, their answer is "Oh well".
You need to think and act for yourself and should care for your own needs. Don't be herded to the slaughter by non interested strangers.
Your Disaster Kit
Putting together a disaster kit is a personal thing in many ways, but everyone should have the basics. At least 2 weeks worth of food, 2 weeks of water, a good first aid kit, extra clothing, and any special needs. Yes, I know FEMA (Forget Everyone Manage After), advises 3 days, but I assure you, they will not be coming to your home to refresh your supplies on the fourth day.
Excessive detail is beyond the scope of this article, so we'll summarize some priorities for your disaster kit.
Food- You must eat food to live. Keep non perishable foods that require no refrigeration and little or no water to prepare.
Water- You must drink water to live. Put aside 15 gallons PER person PER 2 weeks, this is a minimum. You can read the article specific to just this subject by Clicking Here.
First Aid Kits- It would be a real tragedy to develop a serious infection because you allowed a simple scratch to go untreated because you didn't have a first aid kit to clean and care for it. Have a first aid kit that includes items to treat lacerations, sprains, burns, infection, anti-diarrhea, pain, and antiseptic wash at the very least.
Special Needs- There are items you may need beyond the essentials. Medications, toilet paper, sleeping bags, warm clothes, hats, gloves, boots, flashlights, diapers, contacts, glasses, batteries, etc. You can add you own personal needs to the list.
Spare Cash- The amount is up to you and your budget. I would have several hundred dollars. It needs to be cash. A debit card is NOT cash, a credit card is NOT cash, a check is NOT cash, I think you get the point. Businesses, banks, atm machines are easily shut down and rely way too much on the computer to stay in business. If you've ever been is a "situation" then you already know stores will stop accepting credit cards, debit cards, and banks will hold your money hostage and restrict the amount of money you can withdraw. I've been there, done that. You need cash only. Still there is no guarantee the store will be open, but if your mobile and find one, it may be the only way you can pay.
Biological Man made Disaster Supplies- Nobody likes to think about it, but the reality is that we face many threats nowadays other then natural disasters. We live in a new world with the real possibility of a disaster occurring. Some basics you could store to protect yourself are: Chemical gas masks, at the very least, a surgical mask. Potassium Iodide Tablets, these are helpful in the event of a radioactive fallout. The tablets basically flood your thyroid glands and help prevent thyroid cancer which can be caused by radiation absorption. Allergic individuals to iodine should not take these.
All of these items are fairly inexpensive and easily obtained. Keep supplies in your home AND your vehicle. Don't expect to have time to transport your supplies from the house to the vehicle. You may have to jump in and go.
Prepare yourself and you family with a very inexpensive insurance, the disaster kit.
If you feel this whole article is overdoing it, and nothing really will happen to you, then just ask yourself this question, "If I was caught in a disaster, would a disaster kit help or hinder my survivability"? I think you already know the answer...
If you liked this article, keep an eye out for Part 2, "Preparing for a Disaster, Hardcore Survival" which will be published at DIYinnovation.com

Article Copyright 2007-2008 David V | DIYinnovation.com